Jim1967

My experience was similar except she did talk to me about the band and my expectations and whether or not I felt I was ready for this lifestyle change. It was probably about 20 to 30 minutes of total time sitting down chatting and it would be no different then sitting down talking over coffee with someone. No need to be nervous or reserved. Just be yourself...

I haven't had an appetite in well over a year. There were days at work where I would have to set a reminder to have my lunch to I make sure I got in my nutrition. For the longest time I was trying to figure out if my loss of appetite was really my band or just my mind accepting the new lifestyle change. I guess in the end they go hand and hand and instead of over analyzing it I will just sit back and enjoy the ride. After so many years of binge eating and now no interest in food at all it was somewhat confusing. I had to make sure that while it's OK not be hungry or be interested in food it is still very important to get in that nutrition and not skip meals. I have no desire to exchange one eating disorder for another.

This was my thought exactly. I plan to keep on losing as long as my body wants to give it up. It's not like I am suffering from malnutrition or anything. When my body says time is up then that's it. If it's 200 or 150 I am fine with it. Prefer to be in the 190's but I can handle life just fine with where I'm at now.

Can you link to the thread? If it is in the Veteran's forum you need to be a year post-op I believe.

No form of WLS will force a lifestyle change. You have to want it and you have to be willing to work at it. I don't believe a person should've had to diet first but the experience may prove helpful. There is no such per-requisite except for the fact your Surgeon will most likely place you on a pre-op diet. I urge you to educate yourself as much as possible on WLS and attend a free seminar and learn as much as you can about it. Old saying goes is knowledge is power. If you want to sell this to your parents then master the topic and you'll be prepared to take on their reservations/questions. WLS is a lifestyle change but it takes place in your head in order to translate and funnel down to your physical image. If you're not ready for the change mentally than all your doing is setting yourself up for long term failure. I know a person who lost 185lbs with bypass but yet still eats Chinese food a couple of times a week. It's only a matter of time before he starts gaining because he made no mental adjustments. I am not trying to scare you away from WLS but I am trying to impress upon you the importance of mental preparation. What ever you decide I wish you the best of luck.

I think Lellow and HotButterFly hit the nail on the head. People who are not educated on WLS only seem to recall hearing horror stories and not so much the successful, happy ones. Then you will always get the ones that say well all you have to do is diet and control your portions or that WLS is a cheat, an easy way out. There is nothing easy about WLS. Most people think you just go and have it done like a gallbladder surgery and its over and your skinny. LOL. My Wife's girlfriend told her "I don't believe in WLS. Only way to do it is the natural way by exercise and dieting. Other methods are simply cheating" Her words exact....

I very seldom have steak anymore. Last time I had it I had a nasty stuck episode. Sometimes I find it funny the things that give you problems. Steak and Rice are two major ones that give me a hard time yet they couldn't be any different. Go figure...

I highly recommend this article to anyone wanting to learn more about the band. It is all laid out in layman's terms. http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html

For me I can go 5 to 6 hours if needed on a cup - cup and half of food. I don't recommend going that long between meals but it tends to happen from time to time. I do not snack in between meals and head hunger is something of the past. I've heard others like myself no longer had the head hunger once properly adjusted and then I heard others state they've never been able to shake the head hunger. I don't know which is more responsible my band or my will power. I really like to think it is the band because it has been pretty easy to this point since finding the green zone. I had my last fill 1 year ago yesterday and I feel great.

I have no personal experience to go of off here but if it were me and I had the insurance coverage I would find a new Doctor one with a deep support staff and I would discuss possibly revising the the Sleeve. I understand the Sleeve can have its own group of complications but after 3 bands I would consider other options. Again, if it were me. Good Luck!

Congratulations! See you on the banded side...

My Wife was beside me every step of the way when I started the process with the informational seminar back in September of 2011. She joined the banded ranks herself in September 2013. Support is so big in this process and it really does begin at home. Good Luck!

Both Allergan (Lapband) and Realize have discontinued their respective help sites.

As we approach 2014 I thought what a great idea it would be to reflect on where we've been and what we've done and where do we want to go from here. 2011 was the darkest times for me. I could hardly stand up for 10 minutes at a time and walking the grocery store was a real chore. My Wife ended up doing the shopping and I sat in the car. Helping her into the house with the groceries was another chore where I had to sit and rest and catch my breath. I HAD to do something. I was convinced I was heading down a path which led to a grave. I was so fortunate that I had no health issues aside from being morbidly obese. For such a long time it was all about the numbers on the scale and at times my lack of patience derailed my enjoyment of the actual journey and let me just say what an amazing journey this has been so far. There is nothing I would change except perhaps doing it sooner. This past year: I have lost 127lbs in 2013 I am 1lb...Yes 1 from a goal I set back in October 2011 I participated in a 5K for Breast Cancer Awareness I have dropped so many pants sizes this year that I can’t remember how many Attended several concerts and never once got concerned about seating or walking Attended my first NFL game Finally saw NYC at Christmas time and walked 10+ miles to boot Dressed up in Tux for a Wedding this past summer in the scorching 100 degree heat and loved it Arthritis in my knees have not flared up in well over year I went from being stared at like a circus attraction to hardly being noticed at times I can walk for miles and climb many steps without getting winded I feel like I have the energy of a teenager at times I have become a better husband/friend to the love of my life. Not only did she support me even in the darkest times but she also motivated me in wanting to be a better man for her. She inspired me to reach within and find the trapped man inside. 2014 I would like to see 199 on the scale but either way I am and will be happy!! Putting together a team for Relay for Life event in August I am going to do for Kelli what she did for me and that is support her along her journey and be her rock! Hope you all have a safe and happy holidays....

This is really a repost of something I said yesterday but thought it was worth a blog entry Watching my 600lb Life on TLC can be inspirational, aggravating and downright annoying. Many times I want to reach through the TV and slap patients but more importantly the non-supporting people in their lives. I will admit I have only seen a handful of episodes. One thing I can tell you from being a 5'6 488 pound morbidly obese person is it was just a struggle to wipe my butt and it was to a point where I showered after to make sure I was clean and the shower alone was a task because of the aches and pains in my muscles and joints. Walking from my car to my office even with the use of an elevator took a lot out of me. I would last 10 minutes walking the grocery store with my wife and would end up going out to the car and wait for her to finish because I was out of breath and legs ached so bad. I don’t recall eating food and gaining weight simply because I was lazy or didn’t care about myself. I didn’t eat with the intent of becoming morbidly obese to a point where I couldn’t do those simplest of daily life tasks. I have a serious junk food addiction and I loved it. I ate from the moment I wake up to the moment I went to bed. I am not making excuses for myself or anyone else but keep in mind you’re watching an edited reality t.v. show. Do we really know what is going in these people’s lives? They edit the crap out of these things to create the draw and because everyone loves a train wreck and more often than not they will put those things front and center. One thing I am certain about is I will always remain humble and will make sure I never become like the people who used to judge me. I was a terrible mess physically and eventually mentally and I am lucky to be where I am today. I absolutely refuse to forget my 488lb self. Sometimes I wonder why me? Why was I successful? Just because someone doesn’t care about themselves doesn’t mean they don’t WANT to care about themselves. Hope is a very powerful emotion and it can make or break you

Old saying goes you can lead a Horse to water but you can't make them drink it. It has to be on the individuals terms. For me personally I was so lucky because yes I was very very large and I had no health issues aside from Sleep Apnea which I had a machine for and a touch of arthritis in my knee. For me it was enough knowing the the path I was going down it was enough to scare me and make me act.

Thank you

What you're going through is what we call Bandster Hell. It is that time in between being banded and finding that actual green zone. Unfortunately there is no way of telling where your zone will be. Some people rarely need any fill and others take several like myself. It took me nearly 6 months to find my zone. It takes time and a lot of patience. I too was very frustrated in the beginning. I thought OK I had surgery when does the weight start to drop. It did start to drop but it took a bit of time. As everyone has stated you are doing great. Might be a good idea to focus on physical dimensions to gauge your progress as well. Even if the scale is not moving your body could certainly be shrinking and losing some inches. Hang in there it will definitely get better!!

Wow, I am so disconnected going by that list. I can say yes that's me to most of those things....

I can remember feeling this way. Just take it slow and introduce all new things slowly and take baby steps.

I wear a winter scarf and sweatshirt at work and I am still cold. I was actually was tested to see if I was anemic last time I saw my Doctor and when he gave me the results he said "yup, just as I thought (at which point I thought the worst) no anemia". "You're cold because well its cold and you've lost well over 250lbs of insulation. I recommend you put more layers on". Thanks Doc...any chance you could give me a prescription to go to St Thomas for a couple of months out of the year?

This winter in particular has been the absolute worse. Never before in all my years have I detested winter like I do this year. I was born and raised in New England and I hate the winter. Currently it is 14 but with wind chill it is -1. C'mon Spring!!

Try and not to compare your journey to someone else. That just adds more undue pressure on yourself. Everyone is different and everyone loses different. Even someone with similar physical characteristics will lose differently than you. It's not a race and just as long as you see that downward trend then you are golden. Patience can be tough at times and comparing yourself to others can just add to that. Best of luck!

Sounds like you are making excellent progress! Congratulations